Abortion Viewed in Moral Terms: Fewer See Stem Cell Research and IVF as Moral Issues

Regardless of their views about the legality of abortion, most Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue. By contrast, the public is much less likely to see other issues involving human embryos – such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization – as a matter of morality. Asked whether abortion is morally acceptable, morally wrong or not a moral issue, only about a quarter of U.S. adults (23%) say they personally do not consider having an abortion to be a moral issue, according to the survey. Twice as many Americans (46%) say this about using in vitro fertilization. [Note: contains copyrighted material].